Splatalot: The Ka-Splat of Doom
by BlueJay026
Summary: Here's another parody. Of KFP2. (The last part of it.) The Defenders must face the gladiators of Smashalot, who have come for the crown. Will the Defenders be able to reign victorious in the end?
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry if you're sick of these parodies. I'll try to think of some new material, but I don't have too many ideas at the moment. (Do you guys have any ideas?) Anyways, so like I did with Hunger Games, I made a few parallels with Splatalot to KFP2, and here we are. This has three parts to it.**

**If you guys would like to leave a review, that'd be awesome! I'd like to know whether I'm doing a good job or not, or what I could improve on.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Kung Fu Panda franchise or Splatalot.**

It was a cold, wet night in the Kingdom of Splatalot. It was slightly windy, and it had begun to drizzle. A war was about to take place. A war between the Defenders of Splatalot and the Gladiators of Smashalot.

The readied Defenders were gathered on top of the castle's entrance. But instead of looking in at the moat, they were overlooking the castle at the front. The kingdom's vain viking was leaning over the top of castle's wall. He frowned at the glowing red torches and faint sounds of silver lightly clanging against each other. The gladiators from the Kingdom of Smashalot were coming to get the crown.

The Defenders had fought them once before. Earlier that day, in fact. They were able to hold them off to the point that the gladiators finally retreated, albeit after promising to come back. The Defenders had been able to successfully protect Splatalot's trademark crown, and they surely would do the same again.

But, unfortunately, the gladiators had inflicted a heavy, heavy blow upon the Splatalot kingdom. A blow so heavy that it threw the Defenders way off their game, which could cost them the victory.

Gildar took a deep breath, then looked behind him at his fellow Defenders. They were all staring out in front of them at the coming army or at the ground. Neither of them were lively or excited; they were all dejected or solemn.

The beastly barbarian wiped his eyes. "Skabb is sad..."

Tinkor started sobbing, and a few other Defenders looked like they were about to do the same. Gildar straightened himself up.

"Defenders! Pull yourselves together!" he shouted. He clasped his hands on Tinkor's shoulders and shook him a bit. "Pull yourself together!" Gildar let go of Tinkor, then lowered his gaze to the ground. He ran his hand over his eyes, then placed both his hands on his hips. "Pull...pull yourself together..."

A moment later, Gildar looked up at everyone else. The Defenders stared back at him, each still as sad as before. Gildar then put on a determined expression and raised his Tenderizer into the air.

"Defenders! To battle stations! Defend the crown!"

The Defenders nodded. Ballista clapped her hands together a few times.

"Yeah, defend the crown!" she shouted. "Come on, you guys, we've got this!"

Each Defender nodded again, slightly more enthusiastic than the last time.

Knightriss raised her fist. "Defend the crown!"

The dynamic Defenders began filling the atmosphere with the sounds of confident "yeah!" 's. Thorne placed his mace on top of his shoulders.

"We defend, you attack, get ready to go splat!" he chanted. He looked around at his comrades, then said the same thing again. Slowly, each Defender joined in. After a minute, each Defender was pumped up and ready to go.

"AAAAGH! We'll make them pay! They'll get it bad!" Skabb shouted amidst the chanting.

Shaiden growled furiously while the other Defenders screamed in agreement. Thorne pounded his chest to express his approval.

Still chanting, each Defender ran to their battle stations. Skabb, Gildar, Knightriss, and Crocness took the moat. Thorne and Shaiden went to the Stockade while Tinkor and Ballista ran for the courtyard.

Inside the Stockade, Thorne grabbed some goo grenades and ran for the Froth Broth-er. At it, he positioned himself and made sure that his mace was right by his side and ready to mulch.

"Shaiden, are you ready?" he shouted, running his gloved hand over the Froth Broth-er.

Thorne paused. There was no response. He looked over at his sister, who was staring across at the moat. She held a single goo grenade in her hand hanging by her thigh. Her figure was tall and at attention, but low and downtrodden at the same time.

Thorne walked over to the ninja. "Shaiden? You alright?"

Thorne stopped next to his sister. He leaned over the railing to try to look at her face. Her expression was a mixture of sadness and deep pain.

"Shaiden?"

The blue ninja slowly turned her face to her brother. Thorne noticed a small tear glisten in the corner of her eye before making its way down her cheek. Shaiden took a deep breath and turned back towards the moat. She sighed and wiped her face. Thorne looked at her sympathetically, then placed one of his hands on her shoulder.

"We all miss him," he said quietly.

Shaiden shook her head. "I still can't believe they just...killed him like that..."

The ninja hung her head and took another deep breath. Thorne observed her carefully. He knew that she was blaming herself for their fellow Defender's death. She was the one who had tried to save him. She had ran for him as fast as she could...but she was too late.

"What happened wasn't your fault," Thorne said gently. "You did all that you could."

The ninja didn't respond. Thorne sighed, then looked at the ground. He was good at keeping his emotions hidden, but that didn't mean he was invulnerable to them. He was also extremely saddened about his comrade's death. Everyone was. Though he could be annoying at times and didn't care too much for anyone, he was still a huge part of the Splatalot family. And, though neither of the Defenders would ever admit it, they loved and cared deeply for him. Without him, the kingdom just wasn't the same.

"He will always be remembered," Thorne said after a moment. "But for now, we must stay strong and defend the crown. We must do it for the kingdom. We must do it for his sake."

Shaiden took another deep breath, then nodded. "You're right."

Thorne removed his hand from his sister's shoulder, then clasped it around the handle of her Splatana. He pulled it out of its case and handed it to her. He nodded towards the front of the castle. "Make those gladiators witness the wrath of Shaiden."

The ninja nodded and firmly gripped her sword. "I will."

Thorne nodded once more, then paced back to the Froth Broth-er. Shaiden lifted her face towards the full moon. As its pale rays shone down on her face, she hardened her expression, then slashed the sword through the air. She grunted and growled as she kicked, twisted, turned, and cart-wheeled over the Pardoning Platform. The gladiators of Smashalot were _so_ gonna get it. She would make sure of it.

Because no one would get away with killing Kookaburra.

Meanwhile, Gildar and Skabb were already fighting the coming army. Sort of. Each side was firing taunts, brags, and threats back and forth at each other.

"We're gonna tear you apart!" a burly gladiator shouted.

"WE'RE GONNA SPLAT YOU TO THE GROUND!" Skabb screamed. "AAAGH!"

"You should consider yourselves lucky!" Gildar was yelling. "It's not everyday you get to face the striking viking!"

"You're not very striking to me!" was the reply.

"Are you sassing me?"

The response couldn't be heard over Skabb's next roar.

"AAAAAGH! SKABB RULES! AAAGH!"

The next taunt came from the Smashalot leader himself.

"Yeah, you rule. In the Kingdom of Stupid, that is."

Skabb growled. Gildar's face hardened with deep anger when he saw the tall, shady gladiator with dull, black hair. He was walking confidently and pridefully, fingering the handle of his sheathed sword as he did so. His gray eyes glinted with hatred and cruelty.

"Orion," Gildar grudgingly called.

"Viking," the said leader returned coldly.

"What are you planning on doing, this evening?"

"You should know. I'm planning on capturing the crown of Splatalot."

"I hate to break it to you, buddy, but you have to get past the mighty Gildar, first. And that's never gonna happen."

The leader smirked. "I beg to differ. You saw what we did with your little bird-friend."

The viking's face darkened. "Yes. We all did. And he has a name."

"He _did _have a name."

Gildar's glare intensified. "His name was Kookaburra."

Orion rolled his eyes. "I didn't ask for his life story. Remember his death, though, 'cause that's what we're gonna do. To every last one of you."

Now the enemy was in actual firing range. Gildar wrapped his hand around his Splatzooka and placed the other right above the firing button.

"You know, Orion, when you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. And you're gonna pay for what you did to Kook."

Orion laughed. Gildar adjusted his Splatzooka, then glanced over at Skabb.

"Get ready, Skabb!"

"AAAAGH! I'm already ready! What are we waiting for? Let's do this!"

Orion unsheathed his sword and pointed it towards the castle. "ATTACK!"

Screams filled the air, and the enemy began firing arrows and stones. Gildar and Skabb began firing splatballs, slime, foam, and other substances from the Splatalot Castle. The Defenders had a huge advantage: the gladiators of Smashalot were vulnerable to slime. It stuck their fingers together, jammed their weapons, and, if swallowed, made them vomit.

The war went well for the Defenders for awhile. The army could hardly advance an inch. But that soon changed when they brought in their huge weapon. When the castle was within its firing range, Orion gave an order.

"Bring the wall down!" he screamed.

Gildar groaned loudly. "Not this thing again!"

"It's the Firepult!" Skabb shouted.

The Firepult was a large catapult that fired enormous molten rocks. As one can imagine, the results were pretty devastating.

Skabb turned his head towards the moat. "Everyone take cover!"

The barbarian and Gildar dashed for the side of the castle as the enemy shot a ball of burning rock through the air. It smashed through the front of the castle, filling the atmosphere with bricks and wood. The molten rock and rubble landed into the moat. Skabb, Knightriss, and Gildar were okay, but Crocness somehow found herself trapped beneath the smashed bricks and the stones already in the moat. Both her legs and her right arm were pinned down. Her current state caught the viking's attention.

"Crocness!" Gildar shouted.

Crocness shifted a bit beneath the rubble. "I'm okay!" she shouted. "I'm only stuck!"

Gildar whipped his face to Knightriss, who was manning the moat's Splatzooka. "Knightriss, go help her! I am not losing another Defender!"

"Leave it to me, my dear boy!" Knightriss shouted, running for the endangered Croc. "You just keep those forces back!"

Gildar quickly turned around to continue to firing. He would occasionally glance over his shoulder to see how Croc and Knightriss were doing. He cringed every time he saw that Croc was still trapped.

Suddenly, an arrow flew through the air and hit Skabb's arm. The barbarian yelled in pain, then pulled back from the remaining wall. He pulled the arrow from his arm and clasped his hand over the wound. Gildar kept firing at the enemy, but, without Skabb manning the other side, (and becuse of the "newly-enlarged" entrance), the enemy forces eventually seeped through into the moat.

"We need reinforcements!" Gildar shouted.

Back at the Stockade, Thorne went to send Tink and Ballista to Gildar's aid. He leaned over the back of the Stockade's railing and peered into the courtyard. "Oy! Ballista! Tinkor! Go help Gildar!"

"Alright!" Ballista replied, heading for one of the castle's secret passageways. "It's boring over here, anyways! Tink, come on!"

Tinkor nodded, then quickly stumbled after Ballista. By the time the two reached the moat, the visiting army had already pushed their huge weapon through the castle's entrance. The leader, dodging the slime and other substances as he advanced, took his place in front of the Firepult. Orion scanned the moat for targets. Knightriss helping Crocness out of the pile of wreckage caught his attention. After he had watched them for a moment, one of his warriors ran up to him.

"Orders, sir?"

Orion glanced at his blond-haired, right hand man. Then he pointed at the knight and croc-woman. "Kill them."

"Yes, sir," the gladiator replied, nodding.

Immediately after, Orion's forces aimed the Firepult at Crocness and Knightriss. A look of slight panic crossed Knightriss's face, but she didn't back down from her task. She was almost done, and she couldn't leave Crocness behind. Shaiden growled with disgust as she watched from the Stockade. She glared at Orion.

"You coward!" she shouted.

Orion looked over at her. He shot her an evil smirk, then turned back to the two target Defenders.

Shaiden clenched her teeth and banged her fits on the catwalk's railing. Suddenly, she saw something in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the side and looked up on the castle's wall. There was a silouette on top of it. Shaiden gripped her Splatana and started after it when she paused. The figure looked oddly familiar. It was standing in a low stance and was holding a y-shaped weapon. It apparently had wind-blown hair and...feathered shoulders?

The sillouette moved into the moonlight, completely revealing who he was. Shaiden's heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped.

"...Kook?"


	2. Chapter 2

Shaiden could hardly believe her eyes. It was really him! Kookaburra was alive!

Kook was standing straight and tall with a firm face. He stared down dominantly at his opponents with a look of determination mixed into his fierce expression.

Shaiden wasn't the only one who saw Kook. Every one of the Defenders and gladiators noticed him, too. All were just as shocked and surprised. Hadn't Orion killed him?

Orion growled as his fingers curled into claws. "How many times do I have to kill that stupid, annoying bird?!"

The green-haired bird's expression didn't change as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Orion, I think that because you almost killed me since you're a jerk, and that neither of us Defenders like you, you need to leave this castle." Kook paused, then raised his voice. "I'm flapping you on yer back!"

Kook crouched into a low stance. He aimed at Orion with his Sling Splatter, then fired. The Splatball flew through the air...then bounced off of Orion's breastplate. Kook stood motionless, immediately realizing that that didn't work as well as he had thought. He slowly straightened up and uncomfortably put his unoccupied hand over his mouth.

"Ooh..." he uttered, feeling a bit awkward.

"That was just embarrassing," Gildar commented.

Orion narrowed an eye. "Okay...? Take aim!"

The Gladiators of Smashalot laughed evilly as they turned the Firepult towards Kook. The green-haired Defender looked on with a hint of terror as they adjusted their aim. Shaiden watched, her heart racing at a thousand miles an hour. Kook just proved he was alive, he couldn't be killed for real this time!

Suddenly, a kooky grin came over the bird's face. He started shifting back and forth on the wall. He waved his arms in the air, spun around, and did all sorts of other odd movements. Everyone watched with surprise. Kook was...dancing?

Well, that wasn't very strange at all, since it's Kook we're talking about.

Kook danced around the castle, waving his fingers by the side of his head. He laughed as his opponents vainly tried adjusting the Firepult's aim, but to no avail. He was too fast for them. Kook mockingly stuck his tongue out at his enemies. He laughed again when Orion angrily bore his teeth at him.

Thorne had walked next to Shaiden to watch the whole showdown. His mouth was partly open with disbelief.

"I cannot believe that he's doing that."

Kook danced his way all around the moat. He passed the Water Cannon, the Beastly Battle Axes, and the moat's Splatzooka, then made his way to the front of the castle. He jumped off of the wall and landed right beside Gildar. He grabbed a slime-soaked splat ball from the viking's Splatzooka, put it into his Sling Splatter, then took aim. He shot at the Firepult. The slimy, sticky splat ball got stuck in its gears and jammed the weapon. Kook fist pumped.

"One for the team! Ha ha!"

All the Defenders smiled with pride and amusement. Way to go, Kook!

Orion screamed with frustration. "ATTACK!"

Gildar smirked. "What have you guys been doing before?"

The Smashalot leader arched his fist forward. "INTO THE MOAT! AND SOMEONE KILL THAT FREAK!"

Kook ran as the gladiators dashed into the moat. Since his arm felt better, Skabb resumed assisting Gildar in fiercly firing splat balls. A few gladiators made it past them, but then fell into the moat when they tried crossing the Baffling Barrells.

"Don't spend too long in that water!" Kook shouted as he bounded towards the Stockade.

Tinkor laughed. "Matt put in piranhas!"

Shaiden felt herself smile out of sheer joy. She was relieved that Kook was okay, afterall. Not too long later, Kook "flew" inside the Stockade and landed next to the two siblings.

"I'm amazing!" he announced, grinning wide.

Thorne allowed himself to smile a little. "Great to see you again. Now come on, it's about time these losers took a swim in the moat!"

The alchemist grabbed his mace and a few goo grenades, then ran for the opposite side of the Stockade. Shaiden gripped her Splatana even tighter and followed after him.

"Hey, Shaiden!"

The ninja turned around. Kook smiled at her, placed his hands on his hips, turned his body sideways a bit, then tossed his head back in a cocky manner.

"Are you impressed?"

Shaiden smirked. She walked over to him and playfully punched his arm. "Come on, let's defend the crown!"

Kook nodded and grabbed a slime stick. "Right!"

And so the onslaught continued. Things were going great for the Defenders. They were all overjoyed that Kook was alive, which put them back at the top of their game. Skabb and Gildar were on fire at the front, Tinkor, Ballista, Knightriss, and the freed Crocness were "rocking it" in the moat, and Thorne, Shaiden, and Kook were THE threatening force in Stockade.

Gradually, more and more gladiators retreated. In just about ten minutes, there were only about thirty brave (or just plain stupid) gladiators left in the castle. Orion was growing more and more frustrated.

After another minute passed by, his right hand man, who was covered in sticky slime, stumbled over to him.

"Sir, the Firepult's unjammed!"

Orion slapped him. "Then fire, you idiot!"

The gladiator rubbed his cheek, then positioned himself behind the weapon. Orion waited for a blazing ball of molten rock to light up the dark night. He listened for the sound of a large crash. But he didn't detect either of those. He whipped his head to his blond-haired minion.

"Why aren't we firing?!"

"Sir, if we fire, we'll kill our own men!"

The leader was almost at the end of his rope. He didn't care who he killed; he just wanted to get the valuable Splatalot crown. He just HAD ot get ahold of it. "Fire! FIRE! NOW!"

Orion's right hand man looked over at his fellow gladiators. After staring at them for a long moment, he turned back to his boss. "You know what?" He defiantly tossed his torch to the ground. "No."

No sooner had he said that, Orion sent his sword to the gladiator's chest. He kicked his dying man away from the weapon, then took hold of it himself. He quickly scanned the area. He seethed when he found the green-haired bird. Orion clenched his teeth, then aimed directly at Kookaburra.

Meanwhile, Kook had just finished splatting another unfortunate Gladiator into the moat. He laughed, then took hold of another splat ball. Just as he found another target, Gildar's voice rang through the air.

"THE FIREPULT'S WORKING AGAIN!"

Kook felt his stomach lurch. He yanked his head to the Firepult's direction. His eyes widened with horror as Orion pulled the arm down. With a mighty roar, Orion launched the next molten rock.

"KOOK!"

Before he realized what had happened, Kook was roughly pushed to the side as the huge, fiery rock came flying. The bird rolled across the Pardoning Platfrom as a huge explosion cracked through the atmosphere. He suddenly found himself flying through the air amidst bricks and planks. He smacked his cheek against a Titantic Teeter Totter, flailed across the rest of the ram, then landed on top of the Barrier of All Barriers.

Kook groaned. The bird feebly placed a hand on his stinging cheek. A sudden, sharp pain told him that it had been cut. He cringed, then looked up. Everything was spinning. He moaned again and shut his eyes, then re-opened them. As his vision cleared, he was able to piece together what had just happened. He rubbed his head, then realized that his goggles were missing.

The kookaburra looked over his shoulder. Almost all of the Stockade had been blown to pieces. Only parts of the Pardoning Platform and the sides remained. After observing the Stockade's remains, Kook turned to the water in front of him. The pool in front of him was covered in broken boards and concrete among the lily pads. He strained his eyes to see what that large mass flopped on top of one was. His heart almost stopped.

It was Shaiden.

Kook leapt into the water without hesitation. He swam over to Shaiden's body lying on a blue lily pad. When he reached her, he gently gripped her hand.

"Shaiden?"

Kook waited for a response. But he didn't get one. The ninja's body was completely motionless. A look of panic sparked in Kook's eyes.

"Shaiden, please tell me you're okay," he pleaded.

The bird watched the ninja for any signs of movement. Shaiden didn't move a muscle. Kook's throat tightened.

"Shaiden?"

Still no response. Not even a wimper. Kook's heart sank.

"Shaiden!" He desperately grasped her arm. "Shaiden!"

The blue ninja still didn't move. She didn't even make a sound. Shaiden lay deadly still, perhaps destined never to move again.

Kook felt tears sting his eyes. Carefully, he pulled the lily pad towards the edge of the pool. He climbed out of the water, then gently lifted Shaiden into his arms. As he regretfully stared at her face, his ears picked up the sounds of thick boots hitting hard against the pavement. He turned around to see Thorne running over to him. When Thorne reached the bird, he looked at his sister's motionless body, then at Kook. Kook stared back at him helplessly.

With a heavy heart, Kookaburra handed Shaiden to her brother. Thorne took her into his arms. Kook stared at Shaiden's face for a long moment, then looked up at Thorne.

"Is she dead?"

Thorne scanned over his sister's body. His face gradually darkened with anger. When he looked up at Kook, his eyes shone with determination.

"Not yet," he growled, marching past Kook.

Kook painfully watched as Thorne carried Shaiden away. When they disappeared into the shadows, Kook turned his head to the remains of the Stockade. Standing on what was left was Orion. He had a huge, wicked grin on his face. He knew what he had done, and he was proud of it. Kook's tearful, deeply pained expression twisted into one of deep anger.

Kookaburra had never felt so angry in his life. He felt like someone had lit a fire inside of him. Kook promised himself right then and there that Orion would not get away with hurting his beloved ninja friend.

Kook pulled out his Sling Splatter. He shot Orion a furious, icy look, then readied himself for battle.

And what a battle it would be.

**...And that's Chapter 2. ****If Chapter 2 was lame, I'm sorry; I promise that the last chapter will be better! At least, I think so...it seems better to me, anyway...**

**I would like to thank Isgirl988 for my first ever review!**

All reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated!

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the night was fierce. The Defenders and Gladiators fought against each other until morning.

Things had looked bleak, but not for long. Orion had grabbed the crown, but Kook had "Splatbowed" it out of his hands. After he grabbed it himself, he ran through the castle and delivered it to Gildar, being careful to make sure that Orion didn't know that.

Now, Orion and Kook were battling it out on the moat. Kook had disposed of Orion's sword, so Orion had resorted to kicking, slapping, and punching the bird. Kook was valiantly splatting and hitting back. They were currently on the Beastly Battle Axes. Orion was on the first axe, and Kook was on the second. Though Kook was doing a great job with defending himself, Orion soon gained the upper hand. He delivered a powerful kick to Kook's stomach, knocking the bird onto the second Callous Column. He had turned on his stomach just as Orion jumped on top of him. Orion pinned him down and squeezed his strong hands around his neck.

Kook pulled on Orion's hands, but it seemed like the more he tried, the tighter Orion's grip became. Orion, intent on choking Kook to death, decided to sadistically tease him about Shaiden as he did so.

"You're little ninja saved you from my Firepult, huh?" he snarled. "She took the blow for you, didn't she? Did she die from it?"

Kook felt a bit of guilt swell up in his chest as the image of Shaiden's fallen body flashed through his mind.

"No," he choked out. "Not yet."

"That's too bad. Once I become king of this castle, I'll make sure that your little ninja never sees the light of day again. I'll personally make sure that she dies painfully and slowly. And there's nothing that you'll be able to do about it."

That was the stupidest thing Orion could of ever said. Kook felt a surge of anger shoot through his soul. He growled, then removed one hand from his neck and delivered a brutal punch to Orion's jaw. Orion yelped. Kook twisted and launched Orion off of his back, which resulted in Orion falling into the moat. Kook stumbled to his feet. He put one hand over his chest and took a deep breaths. Suddenly, the handsome viking's voice cracked the air.

"KOOK!"

Kook snapped his head to the front of the castle. Gildar and Skabb were busy fighting a group of gladiators. Skabb had his Basher Masher in hand, and Gildar was holding both the Tenderizer and the crown. After punching one guy in the face, the viking placed the crown in the Firepult's arm. Skabb yelled as he smacked another guy, then guarded Gildar as the viking pulled the arm down.

"CATCH!" Gildar shouted.

Kook quickly dashed across the Rope Bridge of Disaster. Orion leapt for him, then grabbed the heel of his boot and pulled him down. Kookaburra quickly whipped out his Sling Splatter and splat-balled his face. The sudden impact made Orion groan and loosen his grip just enough for Kook to yank his foot away. Kook then ran across the rest of the rope bridge, swung from the Perilous Pole Vault, and landed onto the Finishing Platform just as Gildar launched the crown into the air.

Orion ran across the Rope Bridge of Disaster, but he lost his balance. He tripped off the rope bridge and found himself hanging from it. Suddenly, he saw a reptile-thing eyeing him from the moat. It was Crocness.

"Go ahead, fall in," she growled. "My brother's hungry."

And the rest is history.

After that incident, Kook had flexibly and cleverly maneuvered his way around the remains of the Stockade. He jumped on its remaining railing then off of it into the courtyard. Kook hopped on top of a Titanic Teeter Totter, dashed up its base, then leapt off the mace at the top. The bird caught the crown in his hands, soared through the air, then plummeted into the waters below.

Meanwhile, Skabb, Gildar, Tinkor, Ballista, and Knightriss had managed to destroy the Firepult and take care of the last few gladiators. After they joyfully booted them out of the castle, watched the gladiators run for their lives.

"Yeah, that's right!" Ballista jeered. "Run!"

"And don't ever come back!" Skabb screamed.

He and Tinkor high-fived. Afterwards, the six Defenders ran for the secret passageway that led back to the courtyard.

In the courtyard, Kook emerged from the murky water. He gasped for air, then wiped his eyes. He blinked a few times to clear his clouded vision. He took a quick look around, then turned his face to the right edge of the pool to see the blue ninja, alive and well. Shaiden held out her hand, giving him a small smile as she did so. Kook happily returned the grin, then took the blue ninja's hand. Shaiden helped him up onto the concrete. After that, she placed her hands on her hips, then proudly smiled at the wet bird.

"That was pretty impressive."

Kook's smile widened, then, without warning, he hugged the ninja. Shaiden froze, immediately feeling uncomfortable. After a moment, Kook noticed that Skabb, Gildar, Knightriss, Tinkor, and Ballista had arrived and were watching the whole thing. He felt blood rush to his face, then quickly let go of the ninja. Almost immediately after, Kook was met with shouts of joy and a huge group hug, which nearly knocked him over.

"Skabb is so happy!" Skabb declared, tightening his grip.

A minute later, the five Defenders let go of Kook. Knightriss gripped his shoulder.

"It's good to see that you're alive, my dear," she said with a smile.

"Don't ever do that to us again!" Gildar ordered sternly.

After Kook promised that he would try not to, he handed the crown to Knightriss. She thanked him and ran towards the Water Wall. Just as she placed the crown back where it belonged, Thorne walked up to Kookaburra. He was carrying a pair of sopping brown and gold goggles.

"I believe that these belong to you," he said, holding them out to the Australian bird.

Kook grinned as he took his goggles into his hands. He happily slipped them back over his head.

"Thanks, Thorny," he said, adjusting his goggles' resting position.

When Kook had finished fixing his goggles, he turned back to the alcemist. Thorne was glaring at him. Kook suddenly realized why.

"Sorry; I mean Thorne."

Thorne nodded, then patted him on the back. "Good to have you back."

Kook grinned again. He examined his arms, then irritantly brushed himself off. "Ah, I wet me feathers again!" he groaned.

After Knightriss returned to the group, everyone turned around to the remains of the Stockade. No one said anything for a moment.

Ballista crossed her arms. "Guess we better get started on the repairs..."

"...After breakfast?" Kook said hopefully.

Thorne shrugged. "Why not?"

Everyone else agreed. They were all starving.

"Skabb will make everyone lattes!" the barbarian yelled.

"Sounds good, Skabb!" Crocness said.

As the Defenders marched off to the castle's dining hall, Gildar paused to look up at the crown sitting back on its rightful place on top of the Water Wall.

"Oy, Gildar, you comin' or what?" Thorne called.

The viking didn't seem to hear anything. He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head in a cocky manner. "Gildar, you gorgeous being, you've done it again."

Thorne stared at the self-absorbed Defender in disbelief. _You have got to be kidding me._

Two weeks later, the castle had been re-built and re-painted, and everything went back to normal. The Defenders didn't have to worry any more about the Kingdom of Smashalot; the remaining gladiators had decided to turn to different jobs, such as advertising and testing things.

On this particular day, Shaiden was in the courtyard, practicing her martial arts. She was skillfully swinging her sword as she punched, kicked, and cartwheeled all over the pavement.

Just as she finished striking the air with her fist, she heard the sounds of boots lightly pounding the top of the pavement. She turned her head to see Kookaburra approaching her.

"Hey, Shaiden," he greeted, smiling.

"Hello, Kook," Shaiden replied before cartwheeling once more.

A pause.

"So, um...you doing alright?" the green-haired bird asked.

Shaiden nodded. "Mm-hm," she replied before delivering a flying side-kick to an invisible target.

Kook watched as the martial artist continued doing various ninja moves. He absent-mindedly rubbed the back of his head. He felt hecka nervous. After building up a little bit of courage, Kook took a deep breath.

"Shaiden, may I ask you something?"

The ninja somersaulted thrice, leapt up from the ground, swung and pierced the air with her Splatana, then stood in a finishing stance. Afterwards, she sheathed her Splatana and gave the kookaburra her undivided attention. "Yes?"

Kook rubbed his wrist and shifted his footing a little. "Uh, so...you know how you said a week or so again that what I did was pretty impressive?"

The ninja nodded. "Yes."

Kook tried looking Shaiden directly in the eyes, but found it too difficult to do so. He glanced at the ground. "Was it impressive enough to make you want to...you know..."

Shaiden shook her head. "No, I don't know. What?"

Kook shifted even more. His cheeks were burning and he could hardly stand up. He felt so uncomfortable at the moment, but he knew he couldn't back down. He was so close to getting to what he wanted to ask. And he might never get another chance to do so. That one night had taught him that. "Would you, um...y-you know, um..."

Shaiden stifled a devious smirk. "Yes?"

"Do you...would you like to..." Kook swallowed. "...Do you wanna go out?"

"Go out?"

Kook glanced to the side. "Yeah, you know...on a date..."

Shaiden lifted her head a bit. "Oh."

An awkward pause. Kook tried looking Shaiden in the eyes again, but found it just as difficult as before. He took another deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "So um, how 'bout it?"

Shaiden rubbed her chin. "Mmm...I don't know..."

Kook shifted once more. "If you don't want to, I understand."

Shaiden took a moment to think. She knew that Kook had a crush on her ever since Ballista had tricked him into dancing for her. Shaiden didn't really feel the same way, however. She cared deeply about him, that was for sure. That was why she felt so bad for failing to rescue Kook the first time from Orion's Firepult. That didn't mean that she wanted to get involved in any romantic affairs, though.

But still...she didn't want to crush the poor bird. And he did manage to stop Orion from taking the crown. Maybe he deserved some type of compensation. More or less, anyway.

"Alright."

Kook blinked. "Huh?"

Shaiden held up her right index finger. "I'll give you one shot. One date."

Kook's blue eyes brightened. "Really?"

Shaiden nodded. Suddenly, Kook burst into a huge smile.

"YES!" Kook shouted, raising his arms above his head. "Yes!" Kook started spinning around the courtyard joyously. "YES! YES!"

Shaiden couldn't help but smile at the performance. "Alright, alright, don't make a scene," she said after watching Kook celebrate for a minute.

Kook stopped spinning, but couldn't keep still. "So, where should we go?" he asked excitedly. "What do you want to eat? Or would you rather do a movie?"

Shaiden hesitated. "Why not dinner and a movie?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

Kook's smile seemed to widen. "Okay, so...would Friday work?"

Shaiden nodded. "Yes, it would."

"Alright!"

A pause. Shaiden waited for Kook to say something. He never did; all he did was smile.

"I'll see you later," she said. "I need to continue training."

Kook nodded. "Okay."

The ninja unsheathed her Splatana, then flipped away. Once she was gone, Kook pumped his fist and started spinning around again.

"YES! Woo-hoo, yes!"

"Ah-hem."

Kook stumbled to a stop. He whipped his head around to see Thorne glaring at him.

"Oh, hey Thorne," Kook greeted quietly, suddenly feeling like a duck in the firing range of one's rifle.

Thorne marched forward. He didn't waste any time in getting right to the point. "You're taking my sister out on a date, huh?"

Kook took a step back. "Uh...yes..."

Thorne stepped forward again. "Then you listen to me. If I hear anything that implies that you mistreated my sister, you're gonna be speaking to me and my mace."

Kook stepped back, crashing into the castle's wall. "Y-You won't have to worry about that."

Thorne took another step forward. He was right in Kook's face, which was much too close for the bird's taste. Thorne firmly poked him in the chest. "You treat her with the utmost respect, you got that?"

Kookaburra quickly nodded. "Y-Yes, of course. I will."

"Say it louder!"

"I will! I promise!" Kook declared.

Thorne stared into Kook's eyes for a moment, as if he was searching for any traces of sarcasm. His stare was so intensifying that Kook dared not blink. After awhile, Thorne slowly pulled away.

"Alright."

Thorne and Kook stared at each other for another awkward moment. Then, Thorne hit Kook's arm in a friendly manner. He smiled.

"Congratulations."

Kook grinned, mostly with relief. "Thanks, Thorne." The bird paused. He glanced around the courtyard, then looked back at the alchemist. "So..."

"I suggest Italian food and an action-comedy."

**...And that's the end. I hope you guys enjoyed reading this! Reviews and any constructive criticism are always appreciated!**

**Thanks for reading, you guys!**


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